What does the American dream look like to you? To your neighbor? How does your life experience compare with that of someone from a different ethnic background, a different economic class, or a different religion? These questions have been at the heart of the 2016 political debate but their roots are as deep and tangled as the history of America itself. With a closely divided electorate, highly-charged rhetoric, and unaccountable social media messaging, the chasm in understanding can seem all but infinite. Joan Kjaer and her guests discussed thorny, controversial, and critical issues of social justice in contemporary society on “WorldCanvass: White Privilege, Structural Racism, and the Dream of America.”

We are two scholars of American literature and culture at the University of Iowa, a black woman and a white man, who are concerned about the future of the country in which we teach, live, and write. On Wednesday, we will help facilitate a WorldCanvass forum on “White Privilege, Institutional Racism, and the Dream of America” that will offer tools to thrive and survive during the difficult times ahead. With white nationalism in ascendance in the United States and abroad, our topic is particularly urgent.

The focus of the UI Theme Semester in spring 2017 is the Internet, the global system of connectedness that has literally made the world smaller. It enables the efficient processing of complex information, the transfer of knowledge and ideas beyond the borders of language and geography, technological advances few would have dared imagine possible mere decades ago, and rapid communication that can save lives, start a revolution, crowdfund research, and play to both our better and worse natures in interpersonal exchange. WorldCanvass guests will talk with host Joan Kjaer about “Our Lives Online” on January 17, from 7:30-9:00 p.m., in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building. The public is invited to attend both WorldCanvass and the catered, pre-show reception (6:30-7:30 p.m.).

Howard Kerr, a native Iowan and 1960 graduate of the UI, was named the 2016 recipient of the International Impact Award. UI Provost Barry Butler and Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs Downing Thomas presented the award to Kerr on November 17, as part of the WorldCanvass: Higher Education in the Age of Internationalization. Also appearing on WorldCanvass to discuss the challenges and opportunities offered by increasing internationalization in higher education were Ellen Hazelkorn, policy advisor to the Higher Education Authority, Ireland, and Barbara McFadden Allen, executive director of the Big 10 Academic Alliance.

What does the American dream look like to you? To your neighbor? How does your life experience compare with that of someone from a different ethnic background, a different economic class, or a different religion? These questions have been at the heart of the 2016 political debate but their roots are as deep and tangled as the history of America itself. With a closely divided electorate, highly-charged rhetoric, and unaccountable social media messaging, the chasm in understanding can seem all but infinite. Joan Kjaer and her guests will discuss thorny, controversial, and critical issues of social justice in contemporary society on “WorldCanvass: White Privilege, Structural Racism, and the Dream of America.” The free, public program takes place on December 7, from 7:30-9:00 p.m., in the Senate Chamber of the Old Capitol Museum.

International Programs presented WorldCanvass alongside the exhibition "Abstract Expressionism" at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, England, on Saturday, October 29, 2016. Host Joan Kjaer and her guests, UI President Bruce Harreld, Co-Curator of "Abstract Expressionism" Dr. David Anfam, Director of the UI's International Writing Program Christopher Merrill, and Director of the UI Museum of Art Sean O'Harrow, discussed the long history of artistic accomplishment and innovation at the University of Iowa, as well as the seminal importance to abstract expressionism of the UI's Jackson Pollock work "Mural."

What defines a nation, or a state? What’s the meaning of sovereignty, and how do communal or religious identity figure into demands for self-determination? The world community in 2016 appears to be a fractured place with aspirations to statehood like those we’ve seen in South Sudan and Palestine, as well as civil disruptions and realignments like those between Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia. Amidst all of this there are non-state actors like ISIS challenging sitting governments and established states. These questions were addressed at the October 15 WorldCanvass: Nationhood Redefined. This WorldCanvass was a highlight event of the 2016 Provost’s Global Forum, The Nation, the State, and the Global Redefinition of Self-Determination.

Howard Kerr, a native Iowan, 1960 graduate of the UI, and former naval commander and advisor to U.S. presidents, has been named the 2016 recipient of the International Impact Award. UI Provost Barry Butler and Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs Downing Thomas will present the award to Kerr at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 17, as part of the television/radio/internet program WorldCanvass. Also appearing on WorldCanvass to discuss the challenges and opportunities offered by increasing internationalization in higher education will be Ellen Hazelkorn, policy advisor to the Higher Education Authority, Ireland, and Barbara McFadden Allen, executive director of the Big 10 Academic Alliance. The program takes place in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building from 7:30-9:00 p.m. No tickets are required and the public is invited to enjoy a pre-show reception from 6:30-7:30.

On October 13 - 15, 2016, the University of Iowa will host scholars, experts, and researchers from around the world as part of the 2016 Provost’s Global Forum, “The Nation, the State, and the Global Redefinition of Self-Determination.” Events include: - Barkan Memorial Lecture - WorldCanvass

Season eight of WorldCanvass premiered on Tuesday, September 13, in the newly-opened Voxman Music Building in downtown Iowa City. WorldCanvass guests joined host Joan Kjaer to discuss the controversial method of energy production known as fracking and its impact on the environment, social dynamics, and the economy. They also explored, through music and literature, ways in which artists have documented transitions and grappled with the drumbeat of change.

What defines a nation, or a state? What’s the meaning of sovereignty, and how do communal or religious identity figure into demands for self-determination? The world community in 2016 appears to be a fractured place with aspirations to statehood like those we’ve seen in South Sudan and Palestine, as well as civil disruptions and realignments like those between Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia. Amidst all of this there are non-state actors like ISIS challenging sitting governments and established states. The 2016 Provost’s Global Forum, The Nation, the State, and the Global Redefinition of Self-Determination, will address these questions and more during a series of lectures and panel discussions on October 13-15. A highlight of the forum will be the October 15 WorldCanvass, which will be held for the first time in Des Moines at the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center, from 5-6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and begins with a reception at 4 p.m.

Although some environmental activists view fracking negatively, experts have re-evaluated the pros and cons of the method.